Fukushima fears lead Asiana to drop that route

SEOUL – South Korea’s second-largest carrier, Asiana Airlines, said Wednesday it was canceling charter flights to Fukushima from October due to radiation fears from the prefecture’s crippled nuclear plant.

Asiana currently operates two round-trip flights a month to Fukushima under a lease deal that expires at the end of September.

“The service will be halted in October and a decision will then be taken on whether to extend the cancellation depending on conditions,” an Asian spokeswoman said. “Passengers are clearly anxious and we are paying close attention to all reports on nuclear reactor pollution levels at Fukushima.”

The number of South Korean visitors to the Fukushima area is reportedly declining after Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s July admission that highly radioactive groundwater has been flowing into the ocean from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear complex.

Asiana said the weakening of the yen against the won is also reducing the number of Japanese traveling to South Korea.

Tepco said Tuesday that 300 tons of highly radioactive water leaked from a temporary, bolted together storage tank at the nuclear plant.

When flying into Fukushima on Asiana, I would think there are other issues to worry about rather than “the radiashunz” – like whether the pilot and co-pilot are communicating with each other, and whether they can land the plane safely.